- Such correspondence holds no significance, says FO spox.
- The competition referred in letter is simply misplaced: FO.
- Baloch says US admin is busy in transition of the facility.
ISLAMABAD: The Overseas Workplace has known as the letter from US congressmen to outgoing President Joe Biden — demanding the discharge of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan — a blatant interference in Pakistan’s home affairs, describing it as a futile train.
A number of US lawmakers urged President Biden to advocate for the instant launch of the incarcerated former prime minister and all different political prisoners within the nation, making certain their security in accordance with the findings of the UN Working Group report. This letter marks the second such communication inside a month.
The same letter highlighting alleged human rights violations in Pakistan was submitted to the US president in October.
In response to the congressmen’s newest letter, Overseas Workplace spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch famous that the US administration is at the moment in a transitional part following the latest presidential elections. She recommended that such communications have been unlikely to be taken severely by US authorities.
“We merely disregard the content material of the letter written by a number of members of the US Congress to the outgoing president, as the problems raised in it are misplaced,” Baloch mentioned. “It seems to be an train in futility.”
Relating to the decision, Baloch said that it mirrored a misunderstanding of Pakistan’s political system and electoral course of.
On Friday, 46 members of the US Home of Representatives urged President Biden to take motion on the provisions of decision H. Res. 901, which was handed by the U.S. Home with overwhelming assist in June.
In response, Pakistan denounced the decision, stating that it “stems from an incomplete understanding of the political scenario and electoral course of in Pakistan.”
The PTI, in a submit shared on its official X deal with on Saturday, mentioned: “46 members of the US Home of Representatives, from each the Republican and Democratic events, have written a letter to President Joe Biden calling for pressing motion on the discharge of Imran Khan.”
The letter, led by Susan Wild and John James, additionally criticised US Ambassador to Pakistan Donald Blome, accusing him of failing to “incorporate the issues of the Pakistani-American neighborhood” into his work, significantly by not advocating successfully for the discharge of political prisoners, the restoration of human rights, or the respect of democratic ideas.
Referring to the provisions of H. Res. 901, the lawmakers expressed concern that the laws, which introduced Democrats and Republicans collectively, highlights escalating human rights violations and the erosion of civil liberties in Pakistan following the “flawed” February 2024 elections.
“These elections have been characterised by widespread irregularities, electoral fraud, and state-led suppression of the nation’s main social gathering, PTI—particularly the disenfranchisement of the social gathering within the run-up to the vote, in addition to the reversal of precinct-level outcomes, which confirmed an amazing victory for PTI-affiliated impartial candidates,” the letter states.
For the reason that elections, the scenario has worsened, with “rampant curbs” on civil liberties, significantly freedom of expression, the lawmakers famous.
The letter additionally expressed concern over the “use of mass arrests, arbitrary detention, and the implementation of a de facto firewall in opposition to social media platforms,” together with experiences of efforts to decelerate web entry speeds.
A key level of concern for the lawmakers was the illegal detention of former prime minister Imran Khan, who has been incarcerated since August of the earlier yr on a number of expenses starting from corruption to terrorism. He’s “broadly perceived to be Pakistan’s hottest political determine.”
Many PTI activists, together with senior social gathering leaders corresponding to Yasmin Rashid and Shah Mehmood Qureshi, have been detained for over a yr, the lawmakers added.
In gentle of those developments, the lawmakers known as for a change within the strategy taken by the US Embassy in Islamabad.
They expressed disappointment that they have been unaware of any efforts by the embassy to include the issues of the Pakistani-American neighborhood, together with advocating for the discharge of political prisoners, the restoration of human rights, or respect for democratic ideas.
Final month, 60 members of the US Home of Representatives additionally wrote a letter to President Biden, urging him to make use of Washington’s leverage with Islamabad to safe Khan’s launch.
In that letter, Democratic lawmakers had known as on President Biden to prioritise human rights in US coverage towards Pakistan.